Flesh Puppet
by Lost in the Shadow
Summary: There is more than one way to control someone. Naruto is a master of them all. AU.
1. Prologue

-1Something that's been nagging at my mind to write, ever since I watched Chiyo versus Sasori in Naruto shippuden. It's a puppeteer Naruto fic (Sort of.)

There's a lot of background missing, but it will be slowly explained as the story goes along in flashbacks and thoughts. It's just, the story is in first person, and people don't usually tend to randomly recap their life story at points of their life.

I'm sorry this chapter is so short, I just couldn't get what I wanted out of the next one without cutting it off here. I'm sorry.

To those of you who will no doubt wonder about the text in Bold and Italics, that says who's perspective the chapter's in, in a vague and slightly mysterious way. But it should become obvious pretty quickly each time I do it. (There are four main perspectives to the story, but Naruto's is the one that will be written nine times out of ten.)

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As I pulled on the stings, I could feel the boy moving at my will. My chakra, flowing through the wires that bound us together, directed him, manipulated him.

I smiled in satisfaction. Perfect.

_**Flesh Puppet: He who uses others**_

"Wha… what? I can't control my body!" The boy nearly screamed. I smiled - I couldn't have planned this better had I known what I was doing when the thought occurred to me. Chakra wires could be used to control another, that much was common knowledge among puppeteers. Or, well, I assumed it was. I had found it in a scroll on basic puppetry, after all. It was being able to use enough chakra to control a person against their actions that made a feat like this impossible for most. Puppeteers, by nature, were usually skilled at chakra control, instead of having a large amount of chakra.

I smiled wickedly as I drew closer to the boy, keeping the strings tight, so that he could not move. I was the reverse, meaning I was not suited to control a puppet's many hidden weapons. However, this came almost naturally to me, like the human body was a familiar toy.

Heh, I had been used by so many people, maybe I just figured out how to reverse it. They all glared at me… they used me to take their hatred. I don't know what could possible fill an entire town with that much hate… maybe they all had really crappy lives, or something. But it didn't matter why. They took out their own problems on me.

I can fight back now. Konoha - watch out. I will use you all on my way past you. I will become the Hokage, and then, all of you will be my puppets to control.

"You had to be my first test subject. To see just how much chakra shutting down movement requires. You insulted me in class today, made me look like a fool. Only proper that I should use you in return." The boy looked at me, horror struck across his features.

"Y-you're insane! What the hell did you do to me!" with a surge of chakra, I immobilized his face, so the annoying kid couldn't yap at me anymore. It took too much out of me, required a bit too much Chakra to sustain in a practical situation. For a moment, I tried to change his expression, but it was far too intricate. I couldn't even attempt something like that until I had practiced my chakra control… a lot. It was bad enough trying to keep all those features still, let alone move them how I wanted.

I noticed how tired I was becoming. I must be running out of chakra because of my little stunt. Quickly bludgeoning the boy into unconsciousness, I retracted the wires, rolling them up and placing them back in my pouch. It had taken me forever to steal the correct type of wires to channel chakra through, so I made sure to take good care of them.

With a quick burst of speed, I was gone, needing to get away before a body lying in the middle of the street gathered unwanted attention. It didn't matter that it was nighttime, if anyone happened to associate me with this, no doubt the villagers would come after me again. That was something I wanted to avoid - at least until I could do something like subdue a mob with my wires.

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One year, four months later, Gennin Exam

I decided it was time to reveal my new appearance(Not that it's really that different.). By simply covering up the usual orange jumpsuit with a brown cloak, I could blend in more - even disappearing entirely from the view of several of my classmates, who seemed only to know me by the bright clothes I wore underneath. Humph. They must be extremely stupid, or pathetically inattentive.

"Oh, hey Naruto… I didn't realize that was you at first." I nearly sweat dropped. Shikamaru really is the most unaware ninja I know. I'm sure that's just because he doesn't want to, as he's caught on to a few of my manipulations before - a feat no one else has pulled off.

"Yeah, I decided I stood out a bit too much. This way I can wear the outfit I like, but won't attract a lot of attention when I don't want it… pretty smart thinking, huh?" I resumed the act that I constantly put on. It was how I would have actually thought, two years ago, and I had decided not to let anyone know how much I've changed since then.

The best way to manipulate someone is not by controlling their bodies, but their minds. Thankfully, I can, and usually do both… I merely find controlling bodies more fun. Who wouldn't, after all?

"Everyone, take your seats!" Iruka shouted. I moved a bit faster than my usual stroll to get to my place, and became perfectly attentive. Today was the Gennin exam - I had to make sure that I didn't miss anything.

"As you all know, today is the Gennin exam. You'll be tested on your knowledge of the basic academy jutsu and skills. If you pass, you'll become a full fledged ninja." That was obvious. I realized he was just going over the things everyone already knew, and because about as alert as Shikamaru.

"Uzumaki Naruto." I vaguely heard my name called, and didn't think about why, as I had already dozed off at least once. "Naruto! Get up!"

I raised my head quickly, looking around. "It's your turn Naruto. Try not to act like Shikamaru next time, though." He said, while the rest the class laughed. A few seats to my right, said ninja slept peacefully.

How dare they laugh! Using me and Shikamaru for their own entertainment… I can't stand them. Growling, I walked into the back room, Iruka following me in.

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So there it is. Please leave a review, as I would like to know how I'm doing. More chapters will come soon, as I'm having an overflow of ideas for this.

Which kinda sucks, because it's cutting off my work on Kaguya Naruto, and I really want to write it. (I still am somewhat, but most of the words are strangled and forced, making me need to redo it several times, slowing me down quite a lot.)


	2. Chapter 1

I've had someone ask about the Chakra Wires. They are usually made out of pure chakra in the anime, yet I deviate from that here, in which Naruto uses real ninja wire to channel his chakra through. They are training wires, to assist in the learning of how to form real chakra wires. Most beginning puppeteers use these for several weeks, before they have their control down. But due to naruto's bad chakra control, he cannot create them on his own at this point, and will not be able to for a while, signified by his inability to even stop the movement of the face without using too much chakra. He will be reling on wires for a long time, much as chuunin exam Gaara relies on the sand in his gourd.

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_**Flesh Puppet: He who uses others**_

"Naruto, you fail." Iruka said. Why? Surely I was adequate in my jutsu? Three clones, just as stated, though they were a bit off. After all, they weren't wearing the cloak that had only recently been added to my wardrobe, so my image of myself probably hadn't adjusted yet. My Kawarimi was perfect, but my transformation skill wasn't as good. I really had no need to become other people, so I hadn't practiced it in almost a year.

"Why, sensei? I did exactly as you wanted!" I said, trying to keep my act up for just a few more days, while also beginning to panic. If I didn't graduate now, I'd have to undergo another year, and I wasn't sure I could stand that.

"A general deficiency of skill. All of your techniques were just below average, and you demonstrated a lack of being able to escape from even a simple restraint." Crap. I didn't remember about that… To be completely honest, I had forgotten the technique existed before they decided to test it. I just used the substitution, but they were looking for a skill that didn't need chakra.

"I can't fail, Iruka-sensei! I'm the best there is!" Mizuki smiled at the proclamation, and turned to Iruka. Maybe he was my chance at passing…

"Come on, Iruka. He did every jutsu correctly, he even did escape. It wasn't the way the test wanted, but it's a perfectly effective substitute. The clones may have been because he forgot he was wearing the cloak that he just started using. It won't do any harm to pass him, will it? There's always the Jounin's test if he's really not ready." Iruka sighed, he really had no argument against Mizuki's words.

"Fine, you win. Naruto, you pass… for now. Show me you're really ready by not coming back." I gave him a genuine look of confusion. What else was there to test me? Mizki mentioned something about a jounin's test… would my new sensei give me another one?

Before I left, questions unanswered, I couldn't help but note the shocked look on Mizuki's face when Iruka gave in. It was the sign of a manipulation ruined - I had experienced the same feeling once before, so it was easy to detect it in him.

"Hey, Naruto! You made it! I was getting worried about you." Kiba said. I nodded, looking at his new headband as well.

"I see you did as well as ever. Kinda surprising that we're both here, considering that we skipped class so much. If the two of us can pass, anyone can!" I laughed, and he frowned at me, not liking how easily I discredited his abilities.

"Well, it's time for me to be going…" I said, trying to get away from him as quickly as possible. I needed to review my information before I could decide how I'd present myself to my team. I was, at present, a weak close range fighter - not because I didn't know the moves, but because I didn't have the strength to back them up. I was mainly mid-range, having to be somewhat near my opponent to trap them with my puppetry wires, and control their body. After that, however, I was a good long-range fighter.

It was a decision on whether to present myself to them as the puppeteer I am, making all of Konoha suspicious, but allow me to use my full power on missions, or to fight blindly in order to keep my secret. "So, see you later then, Kiba!" I said happily, before disappearing from his sight. When I made sure he wasn't following me, I looped back to the academy from the back. I had to draw tighter the mental strings I had been placing on my target.

"Hello, Hinata." I nearly whispered, as she exited the testing room. Turning to look at me, a crimson blush spread across her face. "So, you graduated as well. I had no doubt in my mind that you would." It was one of the truest things I had said to her - despite the girl's lack of confidence in herself, there was no one else I knew who had the basics down as well as her.

"T-Thank you… N-Naruto-kun…" She said, accompanied by her usual habit of tapping her index fingers together as her blush deepened. For a second I remembered a thought that had gone through my mind when I realized she liked me.

Hinata might be a closet pervert. After all, most people only blush when they're thinking of, well, perverted things. Her being she might account for a lot of that, but it was still a bit too much for just that.

Shaking the thought out of my mind, - after all, it was pretty unpleasant - I smiled warmly at Hinata. "I don't know why you don't believe in yourself, but you really are one of the best ninja I know. I hope we're placed on the same team." Damn. More honesty… if I wasn't careful, I might just become a good person. Sure, I didn't tell the reason I wanted to be on her team was to get closer to her, until she would hang on my every word, but you can't tell the puppet they're being used. They tend to fight back after that, or at least resist the pull of the strings.

"T-that would be g-great…" She nearly whispered, and I nearly didn't hear her. Smiling I thought of something to say, but for once in my life, no words came. Damn! If I was going to say anything now, All I could use was honesty… I decided to wait until she said something else - maybe my usual silver tongue would return by then.

"N-Naruto-kun?" I stared at her, almost confused. I wouldn't have expected her to be so bold as to ask me a question. She'd really come a long way since I first met her. It's a shame that she'd make so much progress merely to lose her freedom. She'd be happy, but even so…

"D-Do… do you think I can change?" She practically blurted out, and I instantly knew the right thing to say. I don't know what I'd do without my natural lying ability.

"Of course, Hinata! Anything's possible with enough effort! But… you know, I really like you…" I had the grace to give her a small blush. "…just the way you are."

There was a soft 'thunk' as she hit the floor, fainting dead away.

I had to stop myself from falling over as well, but from enormous amounts of barely contained laughter. I'm still not sure what was so funny, but at the time, it was the funniest thing in the world.

I'd miss that laughter in the days to come.

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"Come on sensei… you're two hours late." I said, trying to justfy my actions. "It's only fair that we get some enjoyment out of pranking you in exchange." Kakashi-sensei sighed.

"Meet me up on the roof. Now." He said blandly, and I wondered whether or not he was taking us seriously. It was the day after our gennin exam, and I had been placed on a team with some pink-haired weirdo who I vaguely remember having a crush on, and _Sasuke Uchiha._

I trembled at that name, though of excitement rather than fear. The Sharingan was within my reach. I merely had to strip him of his confidence while pretending to be his friend, and he would become my best puppet.

If that failed, I could always kidnap him, and use the boy's body at the end of my chakra strings. But that was a last resort. If I did that, there would be no avoiding becoming a missing-nin, and I wasn't sure I could survive like that with only the one boy as my puppet. I'd prefer to have one more flesh puppet along with my Hinata first.

I could always use the other girl… um… Sakura, for such a purpose, but I had no idea what she'd be good for. Sasuke would make a good defensive to mid range offensive puppet, and my Hinata would be the secret weapon - a puppet with no strings would thoroughly confuse an enemy who had been fighting my other puppets.

But what could that girl do? If she was a genjutsu type ninja, which most kunoichi (in my experience) were, she'd make a good long-range puppet, but I wasn't sure I needed one. It could be useful, yes, but what I really needed was a puppet who could take on the enemy head to head, one skilled at Taijutsu. If I could merely provoke her into becoming good at taijutsu…

No. Kakashi-sensei would notice if I was manipulating my teammates to that extent, and I couldn't risk that. Best to find a more competent ninja to use, one with a good level of strength already.

"Naruto. You'll start first." I snapped out of my thoughts, hearing sensei's call. "Give your likes, dislikes, and dream for the future."

Hm? A typical introduction… I could do that without revealing too much. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Believe it! I like ramen, and whoever is lucky enough to be called my friend." _Tool, more like. _I added in my head. You didn't need friends if you had tools to support you. Only weaklings would want something as shallow as friendship.

"I dislike people who think they can use me and get away with it." I noticed Kakashi's lone eyebrow raise. He didn't understand why I would say something like that… what a fool. "My dream for the future… I suppose it would be to get strong enough that I can never be used again."

I could practically read the jounin's mind. 'Naruto… what happened to you to make you like this?' He was thinking. (or something like that. I'm a puppeteer, not a mind reader. I don't expect to have perfect accuracy.) I decided to give him a bit more to think on.

"I was betrayed by a friend." I said in a low voice, allowing my true hatred to seep into the tone. Only Kakashi was really paying attention, and he seemed surprised that I answered his unspoken question.

"Alright, you next." He said, pointing to Sakura. The girl quickly examined where he was pointing to make sure it wasn't indicating Sasuke before beginning.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, and I like…" She blushed, staring at Sasuke. "I dislike annoying people, and my dream for the future is to be…" She blushed, and stared shyly at Sasuke again.

I couldn't help but voice my opinion. "Wow… you're a completely worthless ninja, aren't you?" I was instantly sent flying off the balcony, from the power behind Sakura's punch.

Maybe she'd make a good Taijutsu puppet after all.

Reappearing on the roof in a cloud of smoke, I frowned at her. "Violent, hot tempered, and probably only skilled in basic academy jutsu." I watched her pale as the truth set in. "Not to mention, being obsessed with Sasuke. Seriously, you must have absolutely no talent as a ninja."

"Now, Naruto, that's hardly the way you should treat a teammate. If you can't work with your team, then you don't have much potential as a ninja, and are bound to remain a low-ranker for the rest of your life." I scowled at him. I'm perfectly good at working with others. I just attach wires to them, and they do whatever I say.

"Better than having no talent." I said, before turning by back to the freakishly bright pink haired girl.

"Sasuke… it's your turn." he said, completely ignoring me.

"My name's Uchha Sasuke. I don't have any likes or dislikes. My dream… it's more of an ambition. To kill a certain man." I smiled. Adding my two cents again. (Wait… where the hell did that phrase come from? Seriously, it makes no sense!)

"A man, huh? Well, if he's older than you, he probably has a lot more time to train, meaning you'll never be able to catch up. Also, since he's probably a higher rank than you, because why would you be holding a vedetta against someone who's only a gennin after all these years, his missions will train him more than yours will train you. Seriously, I highly doubt it'll work. Vengeance usually never does." I lectured. Sure, it was mostly complete garbage, but I had to make him think his goal in life seem hopeless while playing the part of a concerned friend.

"I suggest you just forget about him and move on with your life." I said, delivering the final blow. Doubt was seeded in his mind, and it was on that doubt that I would turn him from his purpose.

I'm so good, I amaze myself sometimes.

It would take a while, but all I had to do was keep crushing his hope while making it appear accidental. It was almost the opposite of what I was doing to my Hinata. So many methods… which one to break Sakura with?

"Tomorrow, I will be testing you all. Show up at training ground three, ready to fight. Bring all your weapons with you." I nodded. I'd even bring my puppetry wires - this was not a test I could afford to fail, no matter what cost.

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So this is the second chapter. Please review - I'd like to see what you think of how I set up Naruto's persona so far.

Cunning, and slightly insane, with a touch of hypocricy... do you think it fits?

I'll be posting the next chapter when I have three reviews. I think that's fair. (Course, I still need to write it, but that doesn't take long.)


	3. Chapter 2

Here it is, though I must apologise again. This chapter is only four pages, when I usually commit myself to six per chapter. I just didn't know how to continue from where it ends without making it a new chapter.

I'm sorry.

But, I hope you enjoy it al the same.

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_**Flesh Puppet: He who uses others**_

"You will be trying to get these two bells from me." I smirked, and stepped cockily towards Kakashi-sensei.

"Is that all? You might as well give up now. Between me and Sasuke, those bells are as good as ours." I said, before the Uchiha nodded in response, backing me up. (Which was unexpected.)

"Yeah. Sakura may not be much help, but with the two of us, you can't possibly win." The man did one of his eye smiles, which meant he knew something we didn't.

"Well, only those who get a bell are allowed to become gennin." I nearly laughed at him. That wasn't much of a response.

"So? Who care what happens to Sakura! Unless she can prove that she's not worthless, who wants her to be on our squad?" The girl looked down as even her beloved 'Sasuke-kun' agreed.

Nice method of ruining one's spirit. Best part is that it was completely accidental. I needed to hold off, however. If both my teammates suddenly became near-suicidal due to lack of self-esteem, I'd be caught for sure…

"So, Sakura, we're expecting you to pull your own weight around here. Understood?" I asked. She nodded.

Kakashi-sensei did one of his weird eye-smiles again, (Seriously, it's the only way that freak can show emotion. It's really annoying, too.) and set a timer down.

"Go!" He shouted, and I motioned to Sasuke, who immediately attacked.

Pure Taijutsu, and Sasuke was actually holding his own. He'd make a good puppet someday - once I ripped his ego to shreds, leaving a submissive shell behind. I accidentally let a betraying evil smile slip through my act, and Sakura gave me a strange look. It wasn't good to make people suspicious of me.

"Go. I'll cover with long-range weaponry. Try to get a solid hit on him while Sasuke draws his attention." I ordered, and the girl sped off, trying to prove herself.

I couldn't help but smile as Kakashi was forced to back straight into my new position by the combined attacks. Sakura wasn't really ding that great, but a second attacker kept him off balance.

Uncoiling a wire, I decided to end the test here. Using chakra to guide it, the coil was quickly wrapped around one of his arms, which I began to make grab the bells.

Of course, he wasn't a jounin for nothing, and quickly severed the line with a kunai in his other hand while still managing to dodge the duo's attacks. When Sasuke finally managed to get a blow in, the annoying man disappeared in a small puff of smoke, and was replaced by a log.

"Sasuke, that's not sensei, that's a log." I told him, as he hadn't been paying attention, and was currently about to hit the log with a second attack. I was actually surprised that Sakura had noticed, as the two of them were intensely focused on being able to hit sensei.

"Hn?" He said, before turning to the new spot where the man was, and readying his weapons. Kakashi pulled out a book, and began reading while talking to us at the same time. Disrespectful freak.

"Sakura. You were able to assist your teammate as he attacked, but that left nobody on defense. If I had been going all out, I could have easily killed you two. Naruto. I find it interesting that a leaf ninja just used a hidden sand technique on me, however, you still seem to lack the chakra control necessary for it to be effective, so I won't accuse you of being a spy. You seem to be learning it on your own. It's a rare case, and it confuses me how you got to the point of being able to control others without learning how to control a puppet first. Last, Sasuke. I am over here. That… is a log. Logs aren't going to be administering the bell test, so I'd recommend you not try to beat them up. It makes you look stupid." I had to laugh at that one, the style just was a perfect compliment to my own. Casually insulting people is my kind of joke.

The 'avenger' growled, trying to hide his embarrassment behind anger. "Sensei. Now that you know my secret, I'm going to have to get serious." I warned him, pulling out a scroll. My secret technique would be revealed, and with that I would pass this test.

Unraveling it, I bit my thumb, and smeared the blood across the seal, and planted the symbol face-down into the dirt. "Summoning Jutsu:" I called. "Chains of Hell!" Kakashi waited for a moment, trying to figure out what I was doing.

But nothing happened.

Kakashi kept a lookout for whatever it was I could have summoned, when he realized exactly what it was that I had done.

"Too late!" I hissed, my wires springing from the ground, and wrapping around his ankles. "Sasuke! Sakura! Retrieve the bells!" I ordered. It was interesting to see how quickly they responded to the command, as if they had already accepted that Iwas the leader of this team. Hmm… this could get interesting.

"We win this time, huh, _Sensei_?" I sneered, surprised that a jounin could get caught by such a simple trap. Dispite his apparent lack of skill, I wouldn't complain too much, though - I was able to pass, and that's all that mattered.

I was hardly amused when he turned into a log right before they could get to him. Bastard… he led us on…

"You will die a horrible and painful death, Kakashi-sensei." I whispered to myself, retracting the strings. Turning, I could see him giving another one of those extremely irritating eye-smiles.

"You shouldn't expect an enemy ninja to just sit there and allow you to-" He was cut off as, within a split second, I accelerate to my top speed, complimenting it with the shunshin, to get behind him, and deliver a high kick towards his head. With surprisingly fast reflexes, he blocked it with the opposite hand, not even seeming surprised. So this was why the man was a jou… jou…

My thoughts were cut off as I felt a wave of rage sweep through my head, and released a small cry of pain from trying to suppress it. I barely noticed as the man tossed me by the ankle in the direction of my teammates. By the time I hit the ground, however, it was already too late.

I felt it surging through me, and the red fog that accompanied such anger settled in on my mind. I only had a few moments! Quickly pulling down the sleeves of my jumpsuit, I could see the wires I had wrapped around my own arms, and within an instant had it free, and in its opposite hand. Pulling both backwards, I tied it around myself, pinning my arms in an 'X' shape across my chest.

Good. I mentally relaxed, as I knew that the others would be safe. I had been feeling this berserk rage more and more frequently in the past year, leading me to but those wires there as restraints for when I lost it. I f I accidentally killed someone, whether I was sane at the time or not, my life was over.

"Naruto?" I could vaguely hear Sasuke's voice, and I pushed through the fog, trying to focus on what my eyes were seeing. He (or Sakura, it was really hard to tell) was standing in front of my, and I could only imagine that they must have been scared out of their mind. The first few times it happened, even _I _was.

"Kakashi… I'll destroy you!" The voice that wasn't really mine said, and I rushed forward as a speed I could only hope to obtain with the shunshin. Before I knew it, I was in the air, right next to him, trying to land a kick. The first one, a spinning kick at head level, was ducked, and he blocked it when my body flipped over, doing an axe kick.

I could see him visibly wince from the force of the blow, as he jumped backward, and the me that wasn't me screamed in outrage. I can only imagine what would be happening if I hadn't stopped my arms from moving...

It wouldn't hold forever though, but once the other me tired to break through it, it would use op most of it's energy, and I could dispel the haze over my mind, allowing me to return to normal. I suspect that if it tried to break them first, it wouldn't have used up enough energy to calm my hate, and I'd be stuck like this for a while, but it's like a beast. It doesn't put intelligent thought into anything.

After all, it's attacking a jounin! If he was fighting to kill, I know I wouldn't win, not like this. If I had this power, but my normal thoughts - I'm sure I could. But that's what happens when people go berserk. They lose the ability to control their bodies, but their mind releases it's restraints on their muscles.

…I think. The only time I've heard someone else talk about this, they practically passed out while doing so, not remembering a thing after they became insane - not like me, where I get to sit back and watch my actions unfold, but not be able to do a thing to stop them.

I saw myself charge again, pulling off an unexpected move. A flying kick with both feet, that, because of the sheer ridiculousness of it caught the jounin off guard. He'd be able to trap me, however, once I landed on my back because I didn't have my arms available to support myself.

I waited for the impact, but it never came. Somehow, I had managed to use the force of the impact to back flip onto my feet, running at him again. I knew that, had I been in control, there was no way I could have pulled off such a feat. I just wasn't that agile.

"Naruto! Calm down!" Kakashi ordered, and he made eye contact with me as I ran. He froze up in shock, and whispered one word that even my improved senses had trouble picking up. "Kyuubi…"

I stopped right in front of him when he said that, and could hear an animalistic growl come from my throat. The wires snapped like strings, and I seized my chance. "Now!" I shouted to myself, and tore through the fog, feeling myself regain control again.

Completely exhausted, I fell to my hands and knees, some feeling the strain of chakra exhaustion. I wasn't sure how that worked - was the reason I became so strong and fast in that state because I was powering myself with chakra?

"Naruto!" Sakura shouted, and I struggled to my feet. I needed to figure out how to act in response to this… what would I tell them?

"What… the hell… just happened?" I asked, panting loudly from sheer exhaustion. Looking around, I could see that both Sakura and Sasuke looked scared, if not completely horrified, and Sensei was more than slightly shocked.

"I'm… tired…" I panted. "must… sleep." And within a second, I passed out.

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Hmph. Someone said that I'm begging for reviews. NO. I never (NEVER!) beg. I simply feel that, if people want the next chapter of the story, they should have the courtesy to review. (Or add an alert to it, just something!) So now, instead of counting reviews, (which apparently is viewed as begging) I'm going to count up the number of anythings the story has. As of now, there's eight reviews, nine alerts, four favorites, and one C2. That's 22. Once I have 27, I'll post the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 3

This chapter marks the first one with a perspective other than Naruto's.

Now, last chapter, Naruto accidentally used the Kyuubi's power. That is the first, and most likely last, time he will ever use it in such a way. I've thought of a better way for Kyuubi to demonstrate it's presence in this fic.

Also, I must say that I am shocked. At the time I began writing this, the count was at 35.

13 more than before, and eight more than expected. Because I am so impressed at how my goals have been exceeded each chapter, I will not longer add a prerequisite for when I start writing unless it suddenly stops increasing.

Someone said that was holding my story hostage. I apologize if that's what it seemed like. I was mainly using that to tell me when to begin working on the next chapter, not because I wanted my story to have specific amounts of reviews.

But I see that if I do so, people just smash through the expected amount, making me feel guilty, and making me start working the day after I update, posting it later that day.

So, I'll just write from now on. Thanks for all the support!

_**Flesh Puppet: He who uses others**_

Blearily dragged back into consciousness, I found myself in an unfamiliar room. I didn't even try moving, as I could feel the cords that bound me to a strange-looking bed. After glancing around more, I was able to identify were I was.

"Great. I'm going to have a really nice memory of hospitals after this." I sarcastically commented to myself, and waited for someone to come. Typically, when someone wakes up in a hospital, within a minute or two, somebody they know walks into the room, and explains what's going on to them. (Or so I've read.)

So I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"What the hell is wrong with you people! You're supposed to have come by now!" I shouted, and the door slowly opened. "…of course." I said, upon seeing the face(?) that entered. He had kept us waiting for several hours before the bell test, so why wouldn't he leave me waiting, tied up in a hospital for an hour and a half.

"You're late, Kakashi…" I growled, his eye-smiles only making me more irritated. "What the hell am I doing in a hospital, tied to a bed!"

"Well, you attempted to kill me, so we're having you stay here until they can complete mental evaluation, as you didn't seem to be very sane when doing so." There was a pause after his sentence, where my anger built up in the complete silence.

"K NO!"

"You have some very… colorful language for a twelve year old, Naruto."

_**Flesh Puppet: He who seeks power**_

'Naruto…'

'What was that power? He nearly beat a jounin without the use of his arms! I must have it… that red chakra…' I slammed my fist down on the arm of the chair.

"How did he get such power without me noticing!" I nearly screamed. He was the dead last, wasn't he? Thinking back, I saw where that had begun to change. About a year ago, he became able to pull of a transformation jutsu perfectly, along with correct bunshins. Something had changed in him back then…

But how could he get that in a year? They were entirely different things – competence, and raw power. How did he-?

I remembered how drained he was after using it, passing out shortly afterwards. "Maybe… he's had it all this time, just didn't know how to use it." I commented. It was much more likely, I now realized, almost laughing to myself.

Yeah right! As if he could have gained such a power on his own! It had to be some sort of Kekkei Genkai, like my Sharingan. That would explain it.

'Hmm… Eventually, I'll have to show him who's is better. Mere power won't help him against the Sharingan.' I thought, actually laughing this time, but one of satisfaction at the mental image of me beating the overpowered dobe into the ground.

I decided to find Kakashi. He, if anyone, should know the extent of Naruto's Kekkei Genkai, and, more importantly, its weaknesses.

"Sasuke, Sasuke!" Damn, it's Sakura. For once, I'd just like to say 'Shut the hell up, you stalker', but I can't do something like that. I'll need every last one of those annoying fangirls when it comes time to restore my clan.

"What is it now, Sakura?" I sighed, hoping that she'd finally get bored and go away.

No such luck.

"Did you hear? Naruto was sent to the hospital! Do you think there's something wrong with him?" I had waited several years for someone to ask me that question, and with a smug smile, I answered her.

"Sakura. There is so much wrong with him that I'm surprised they hadn't carted him away before now. You don't want to get me started." She stood there, as I kept walking, a little confused by my response.

Running to catch up, (Damn) she smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. But what happens to our team without him? Kakashi-sensei even said that we were only going to be instated because we worked well together because of him."

I frowned. There was no way it was because of that… freak, that we were a good team. "I'm sure you can manage to be useful without him telling you what to do, Sakura." I 'assured' her.

Looking crestfallen, she hesitantly agreed with me, because that's all she seems to be able to do. Seriously, if I say something, my army of fangirls can't argue it, for some unknown reason.

…I wonder what would happen if I told them the sky was green.

"Kakashi-sensei's probably still over there, keeping an eye on Naruto. Do you think we should ask him what happened?" She said, and I was the one who stopped walking.

"Thank you, Sakura. You've finally managed to be useful." I said, and used the shunshin to accelerate. As I sped off, I could hear her say a faint and hesitant "You're… welcome?"

Arriving at the hospital, I wasted no time locating Naruto's room, only to be told that e wasn't allowed visitors by the person who gave me directions. Seeing that I couldn't get in that way (For some reason, there were two jounin guarding the door) I memorized its position on the outside of the hospital, and tried to climb up to it.

Failing miserably, I remembered something that we had discussed in the academy, using chakra to stick to the walls or ceiling. Focusing chakra into my hands, I placed on the on the wall… making a small explosion.

Crap. That clearly wouldn't work. Maybe if I put in a bit less chakra…

One minute later, I slipped down the wall, as I had been doing without chakra. Clearly, this wasn't as easy as I had first thought. Hn, If chakra control was a skill, then this could be considered training. Yeah, that was it. Just put all my concentration into it like I did with training.

One hour later, I was below the window of Naruto's room. "Ha. Let's see you do this, dobe."I commented to myself, sure that he wouldn't be able to pull off such a feat. (Even if his chakra control had improved, it wasn't as good as mine)

Looking into the room, I could see the loser squirming on a bed, while Kakashi read some book. Listening carefully, I could hear what Naruto was shouting, despite the fact that it was clearly a room made to keep sound in.

"Kakashi you ---- ! You son of a ----ing ----! When I get my hands on you I'm going to tear off your ---- and shove them right up your ---- and then ---- on your ---- with ---- in the ---- and ---- your ---- so then you'll have to ---- sideways! …----!"

Forcefully opening the window, I stepped inside. "What the hell was that about, Kakashi?" I asked. I didn't really expect Naruto to use that kind of language.

"Well, I told him that the doctors had decided he was insane and that he could never be a ninja, yet him wallow in self pity for over two hours, then said that I was kidding and he could begin missions tomorrow."

"Nice." I said, using an expression that I had heard, but never decided to use before now. I thought it fit this situation perfectly.

"It was pretty good, wasn't it?" Kakahshi replied, and Naruto managed to knock the bed over because he was moving so much.

_**Flesh Puppet: He who uses others**_

That bastard Kakashi fled a few minutes after they got my bed back to normal, leaving me with Sasuke. Usually, I'd welcome a chance to be alone with Sasuke, but I was too mad to be able to think of ways to crush his ego for now.

"Dobe." Sasuke siad, and I turned my head to look at him. "So, how'd you get that power? …You know, when you fought Kakashi?" I gave him a confused look.

"What power? You mean when I went berserk? I wouldn't really call that power, as I can't think well enough to use it properly when I get it." Sasuke seemed to be more confused than usual.

"I had assumed that it was a Kekkei Genkai. After all, you were releasing red chakra from your body at a rate that should have killed you." It was my turn to be confused, and I decided to get as much information from him as I could.

"Was I? I couldn't tell – it's really hard to see when I'm like that. Was there anything else that changed?" He nodded, pointing at my face. "My face changed? That doesn't make sense."

"Not your face, you moron. The whisker-marks on them. They became a lot more defined, and your teeth became fangs." He said, trying to sound demeaning. Like an insult from him is a bad thing.

"Hmm… I don't think I've heard of a blood limit like that. I'll have to check it out more later." I said, and then reverted to my usual act, the persona I had once had.

"Hey, Sasuke? What do you think our mission will be? Escort duty, recovering secret documents, invading another hidden village?" I was to be sorely disappointed, even though I hadn't actually expected the last two.

"Gardening?! What kind of lame mission is that!"

A few days later, after threatening to kill Kakashi several times, we were on our way out of the village, on our first important mission. Guard an important bridge builder on his way to wave country. Sure, he was a drunk old man, but I chose to ignore it. This would be my big chance to use my new techniques – I hadn't been able to test out many, only the one I had used against Kakashi-sensei.

I'm still not sure why I call him that, as he hasn't taught me anything.

…except how to be late, and how to be a pervert, but I don't expect to be using either of those extremely worthless skills (If you can even call them that) anytime soon.

"Kakashi? Did you notice the - " I was cut off my him nodding his head. "Aren't you going to…" This time, he shook his head.

"This one's up to you gennin, Naruto." He said, and I felt a small bit of pride. He actually trusted me… though that may not be the wisest decision, as I was still planning on killing him for that joke.

And a split second after I had backed away from him, the two ninja appeared form the puddle of water, and ripped him to shreds. "Kakashi!" Sasuke shouted. Apparently the thought of having a jounin killed within a spilt second unnerved him.

It would have disturbed me, too, if I had not been close enough to see the log fall to the ground. "Sasuke, that's not our sensei, it's a log… again." I taunted.

Angry, he pulled off an impressive attack where he used a kunai and shuriken to pin the two ninja's chain to a tree, before kicking them both in an almost cool way.

Too bad they both turned into logs. Seriously… the substitution jutsu is about the most basic of them all. You can't just hit someone head-on, and expect them not to use it.

Sasuke cursed. "You really have no luck with that jutsu, do you, Sasuke?" I asked, pulling wires out of my sleeve. "Allow me to show you how to really incapitate someone." With a flick of my wrist, the wires moved towards the one ninja near me, and I performed a few more specific hand movements to bind the man's limbs.

"Now… where is your friend?" I asked, sensing the second one rushing up behind me.

I nearly laughed at the man's look once he realized he had just impaled his own teammate. My puppet then counterattacked, killing him instantly, the poison in their claws reaching the heart that he had almost pierced.

"It won't be too long until this one dies of the other's poison." I commented, tying him to a tree with normal ninja wire. "And as expected, Sakura did nothing." Getting in another small jab at her ego, I felt I could leave here satisfied.

I must admit, though. Killing that man… what a strange feeling it produced. I couldn't say whether it was good or bad, but when Kakashi-sensei reappeared and our squad continued on, I can say that I felt truly… _alive._

* * *

And there it is! 


End file.
